On 2018-12-02 3:42 PM, cshenk wrote:
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> If you do excel at some particular task, the best way to get
>> satisfaction from it is not to brag, but to use it to help someone
>> that will benefit from your use of it.
>
> Agreed Ed.
>
> Here's a few simple things I have never mastered but tried a few times.
>
> Cottage pie (potato). I seem to always get a soggy mass of ick.
> Pot Pie (flour crust). I seem to always get a soggy mass of ick.

I am not sure I can help you there. I have been making it occasionally
for the last few years and it always seems to turn out. I tend to like
mashed potatoes a little on the dry side. One of the tricks to any any
kind of meat pie is to get the sauce the right texture. Potatoes that
are too creamy or a meat sauce that is too wet may be the cause.

> Somewhat successful but not better than a packet- Gravy. I have had a
> few successes (or we accept them as better than a packet).


The first think you need is a good sized roast that has cooked long
enough to get some nice dark fond. Pour off the drippings and skim the
fat off to go back into the pan for gravy. Mix it with equal amounts of
flour to make the roux. Cook it until it gets some colour to it. Then
start adding the liquid. It sometimes helps to have some extra broth
ready to add to it. You need to stir constantly as you add the liquid to
the roux to avoid lumps.


> I'm sure we all have things we are not so great at. I did once nail a
> gravy perfectly from scratch though! Hamburger fat based. It must
> have been an accident ;-)